North Little Rock farmers market Me & McGee hosted  about 30 people Thursday afternoon to join self-proclaimed raw milk revolutionary Logan Duvall and small dairy farmers to advocate for loosening Arkansas’s regulations on selling raw milk.

Duvall began his effort to deregulate the sale of raw milk just last week, after inspectors with the state Department of Health ordered him to dispose of raw milk he was selling at Me & McGee. He had labeled the milk as being for “pet consumption” in an attempt to skirt state regulations preventing markets from selling raw milk to consumers. In Arkansas, only dairy farms are allowed to sell raw milk, and they are limited to selling 500 gallons a month. They also must sell it directly from the farm.

“The catalyst for being here was that we got turned in to the health department for selling raw milk as pet’s milk,” Duvall said. “And what that did was it really opened up a conversation about what are our food laws? What is governing our food production? And how does that affect consumers and affect the access for people getting the food that they want?”

Raw milk is unpasteurized, meaning it hasn’t been heated to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that consumption of unpasteurized milk can lead to numerous health issues, from gastric distress to more severe outcomes like Guillain-Barre syndrome or even potentially death. ​​The CDC also says children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant people, and people with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk.

But raw milk aficionados consider raw milk to be more nutritious and tasty. At the event, advocates said raw milk was more natural and that consumers should have the freedom to buy the product and that it should be more accessible.

Joy Ballard has eight dairy cows and initially began producing milk and cheese just for her family. Her farm is located in New Blaine, a small unincorporated community in Logan County. She exclusively sells raw milk from her small dairy operation and says she has a waitlist for customers.

“Capping production at 500 gallons a month is kind of silly,” Ballard said. “A cap is unnecessary. If someone can produce a lot with good healthy standards then more power to them. We have a waitlist. And when we have a customer who changes location and can’t come to me anymore, I have someone step into their spot.”

Ballard told the Arkansas Times that agriculture has evolved since the early 1900s, when raw milk consumption led to many health issues. She said she produces a high quality, natural product that people enjoy.

“Let people make their own choices! If I can go down to the store and buy cigarettes and alcohol that routinely kill people, why can’t I choose raw dairy?” Ballard said.

John Ballard, who is not related to Joy Ballard, also exclusively sells raw milk, which he produces at his farm in Bonnerdale in Hot Spring County. A young couple who spoke at the rally said they sometimes drive 160 miles to buy milk from John Ballard at his farm.

Joy Ballard and John Ballard hope the market for raw milk will become more open, giving small farms like theirs more economic opportunities and helping people who enjoy raw milk have greater access to the product.

The raw milk cause has received national attention and has been embraced by some conservatives, though other supporters don’t see it as a right-wing cause. Controversial Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that “raw milk does the body good.” Greene has not commented on the burgeoning Arkansas movement.

Duvall drafted a broad framework for regulatory change that he calls “The Arkansas Prosperity and Food Sovereignty Act,” that calls for allowing raw milk to be sold in farmers markets and retail outlets properly labeled as unpasteurized. He also called for liability protection for milk producers and retailers.

State Rep. Karilyn Brown (R-Sherwood) made an appearance at the Thursday event and spoke favorably about the proposals. Arkansas lawmakers can begin filing bills for the 2025 legislative session as early as Nov. 15, and Brown said several draft bills were already floating around the Legislature. Previously, Duvall told the Arkansas Times that multiple state legislators have expressed interest in the proposals.

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